The inspiration for the creation of A Place To Remember was born out of the personal tragedy of co-owner, Tim Nelson, and his wife Monica. In 1983, their second child was unexpectedly stillborn during the eighth month of pregnancy.

In the years following his daughter’s death, Tim began doing volunteer work for the newly formed Pregnancy and Infant Loss Center, a Minnesota based non-profit organization that offered peer support to bereaved families and advocacy for improved care within the medical community. He eventually served as board president of that organization, during which time he wrote a booklet for grieving dads entitled, “A Father’s Story – When a Baby Dies”.

Because Tim and his business partner, Calvin deRuyter, owned a graphic design and publishing company, they recognized the lack of quality support material available to families. By the time A Place To Remember published its first 6-page catalog in 1994, significant improvements had already been set in motion within the perinatal bereavement community. Calvin and Tim’s hope was that A Place To Remember would build on that momentum and take the quality of available resources to a new level.

In the years since its founding, A Place To Remember has published numerous books and booklets, including “Unsupported Losses,” “Coping with Holidays and Celebrations,” “Memories Of Our Baby,” “Days In Waiting – A Guide to Surviving Pregnancy Bedrest,” “Our Little Angel,” and “A Caregiver’s Handbook to Perinatal Loss,” among others. Tim also authored, “A Guide For Fathers – When A Baby Dies,” and co-authored, “Couple Communication After a Baby Dies: Differing Perspectives,” with Sherokee Ilse. He has also has spoken locally, nationally, and internationally on the topic of grief from the male perspective following infant death.

A Place To Remember’s original mission of providing uplifting support materials for those who have been touched by a crisis in pregnancy or the death of a baby, is unchanged today.